Future
by Kieno0324
Summary: Noll had never thought about the future. It was time to start and the only way to move forward was with his family.


Ummm, yeah. I don't even know where this came from. It was demanding to be written after I finished _Siblings_. For this story you need to have read _Conversations _first. If you want to read _Siblings_ after please do! Anyway, I hope you enjoy and review!

* * *

Mai Davis had not known what to expect when she went into labor unexpectedly at two o'clock in the morning. She certainly hadn't expected, but knew she should not have been surprised, for Noll to be calmer about the situation than she was. He also had refused to let her panic while they were still in their home getting ready to go to the hospital. Every single time she had started to cry from fear and pain he had remind her of two important things.

'_One, I'm staying at your side. Two, remember to breathe, idiot._' the words still ran loudly in her head as though he had just said them. He had continued to remind her of those facts even after they were at the hospital. After twenty-four hours of labor Mai realized their baby was as stubborn as it's father. When the doctors had told her it could be dangerous for the baby if it stayed where it was for much longer. She had started outright sobbing at that piece of news and she could also feel the panic resonating from her husband as he tried to comfort her.

It had been as the soon-to-be parents discussed other options on how what they needed to do to help the baby that said baby decided to take matters in it's hands. Before Mai could comprehend what was happening she had been giving birth to her baby. She had realized after holding her squalling baby, her beautiful baby boy, she had another Noll on her hands. She had been tempted to cry and smile at the exact same time. She had done both when the nurses had taken her son and husband out to show the latter how to wash the new baby.

Mai was now sitting in her hospital bed looking up at the ceiling. She had just woken up after she had fallen asleep the moment they moved her back to her hospital room. She stared up at the ceiling for another before a sound caused her head to turn. The sight that met her made her eyes go wide as tears welled. Noll was sitting in the chair at her bedside. It wasn't the fact he was there, sound asleep from the way his eyes were closed and head tilted forward, but what he was holding in his arm. The blue wrapped bundle moved with each breath his father took causing the baby to coo each time he moved. Mai continued to watch them with silent, happy, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. In her mind Noll was already making an excellent father. She watched as her husband slowly returned to the world of the waking.

"Mai?" he asked hoarsely. Mai slowly sat up with a wince. Her body had no problem reminding what the past twenty-four hours had consisted of. She met Noll's eyes for a moment before turning her gaze to the precious bundle he held in his arm. She didn't have to look at him to know he was studying the face nestled in the blue blanket wrapped around their son. "Do you want to hold him?"

"Yes." Mai answered. She watched as Noll stood up to hand her the most important thing in her world now. She felt a fresh wave tears escaped as she looked down at the sleeping face of their newborn son. She looked up at Noll with a smile. They hadn't talked about names since they found out she was pregnant. The way he had refused to talk about names had told Mai he was just nervous about becoming a parent as she was.

"We need to decide on a name for him." she said as she gently patted the baby's back. The child snorted in his sleep causing Mai to blink down at him. She patted him again only to giggle when he snorted again. She had heard of babies burping when patted on the back but not snorting. She should have known her son would be different. His parents weren't exactly what people called normal so why was Mai expecting her son to be normal?

"I know." he replied softly. Mai turned her attention from the baby to look at Noll. She saw he had on odd look in his eyes. One that told her he was feeling overwhelmed. She realized, out of the two them, he had spent more time with their newborn since he had joined them. She also realized it had drained Noll of his strength. He was trying to shut down on her and she knew she had to act fast if she wanted him to remain involved.

"He looks like an Oliver to me. What do you think his middle name should be?" she said with a small smile. Mai knew what she wanted her son's middle name to be but she was going to let Noll decide. Even though she had known him since she was sixteen, been in a romantic relationship with him since she was nineteen, and been married to him for over a year Mai was still unsure how healed he was from his brother's death. She was giving him the control over the middle name for the simple reason she wanted him to make the decision. She knew he would feel more comfortable by having the power or so she hoped.

"Mai…" he whispered. She just smiled up at him as she held their son. She blinked as the baby began to snore softly causing her to smile. His father also snored softly whenever Noll rolled onto his back while sleeping. "I…how about…Eugene?"

"Naru?" she whispered surprised. She wasn't sure what she had expected but it certainly hadn't been that. She had been sure he would have suggested another name. She studied him for a moment but found she couldn't get a read on his thoughts. "Are you sure?"

"I think…he would like it." he told her. Mai blinked up at him before moving her gaze down to the sleeping bundle in her arms. She smiled at the small face that met her gaze. He was a replica of his father with the black peach fuzz and the blue eyes she had seen when he had been crying earlier that day. She wouldn't tell Noll because that would only serve to inflate his ego more than it already was. She didn't even want to think about the smug look on his face when they had told them it was a boy. He had been unrelenting during her pregnancy in trying to convince her to find out the gender of their child.

"Oliver Eugene Davis it is then. Do you like it, sweetie?" she cooed at the baby. The newly named baby just sneezed in response. Mai turned to Noll with laughter only to smile brightly when she saw the gentle smile on his face. She could also see the amusement shining in his eyes at the response from the baby. They continued to sit in silence before Mai glanced at the clock. She felt her eyes widen as she saw it was already close to midnight.

"Naru, what time is in London? We promised to call your parents to tell them about the baby." she reminded him. She watched as Naru also glance at the clock hanging on the wall. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he quickly did the math. She hoped it wasn't too late for them to call if only because she knew Luella would be unhappy if they waited longer than necessary to tell her about her grandchild. Mai knew if her in-laws lived closer they would already be at the hospital.

"They should still be at the office. I'll call." he told her. Mai swallowed as she watched him pull out his cell phone. She smiled at him as he put the phone on speaker allowing her to hear it ring as well. She bit her lip as she tightened the grip on Gene, she could already think of him as that, as they waited for Luella to answer the phone.

"_I was wondering when you would decide to call your poor mother! What took you so long?!_" Luella cried the moment she picked up the phone. Mai had to bite back a laugh as she had been expecting the greeting. The irritated look on Noll's face told him he had also been expecting his mother's reaction to the call.

"Mother, he was only born five hours ago. We've been getting used to having him in the room and with us." Noll told her with his irritation obvious in his voice. Mai sent him a look causing him to sigh. She knew he understood her message about treating his mother better even if it was only over the phone.

"_He? Are you telling us we have a grandson, Oliver?_" Martin's voice asked. Mai grinned as she realized they were also on speaker to listen to what their son had to say.

"That's right, Martin! He was nine pounds, ten ounces, and twenty inches long. He's a big baby!" Mai said brightly. She listened to the silence that greeted her announcement. She wondered if they were alright as she exchanged a look with Noll. He just had his eyes closed as he was shaking his head. She had the feeling he knew exactly what was going through his parents' heads.

"_I bet he is! How are you feeling, Mai? I know Noll called us yesterday to tell us you were in labor._" Luella finally spoke. Mai closed her eyes as she began to rock when Gene whined quietly. She had fed him shortly before he had been taken to be washed and she had the feeling he would demand to be fed again soon. She could only hope he would until they finished speaking with his grandparents although she wouldn't be surprised if he decided he wasn't going to wait.

"I'm a little sore but good. If I had to go through it again I would if it meant he was the result each time." Mai said happily. She glanced up at her husband when he put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She smiled at him gently only to feel her cheeks flare when he returned the smile. She reached up with her free hand and covered his before turning her attention back to the phone in his other hand.

"_Quit holding back on us! I want details! Who does he look more like? Does he cry a lot? What did you name him? I want pictures, Noll. Pictures. Do you hear me?_" Luella told them both . Mai had to bite back a laugh when she looked up to see Noll's irritated face again. She should have known Luella would have demanded details about their grandson. She should have also known what his reaction would be.

"Mother, please." Noll sighed. Mai squeezed his hand as she heard Luella sputter at the tone he had just taken with her. She had never heard Luella caught off guard because of Noll but she had the feeling it was because of the circumstances. She had just been told she had a grandson so she hadn't been prepared for the wall that Noll could be. It was obvious Noll was not in the mood to be told what to do.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, he looks more like Noll than me. He only really cried when he was born. We named him Oliver Eugene. We'll take pictures when we go home. You're more than welcome to come visit and meet him soon." Mai told them. She ignored the way Noll squeezed her shoulder after she extended the invitation. She knew he was going to complain, at least the way Noll complains, after they got off the phone with his parents.

"_Oh, Mai. Thank you. We will most definitely take you up on that offer. I'll let you know any plans we make. Get some rest before your baby decides it's time to start acting like a true newborn and doesn't let you have any sleep anymore._" Luella said with a laugh. Mai winced as she looked down at her sleeping baby. She really hoped Gene decided to be the nicest baby he could possibly be. She looked at Noll only to sigh to herself. She had the feeling her hopes were going to be completely dashed. Noll was not easy person to deal with on his best days and if Gene was anything like him Mai knew she was going to have to battle with her son to get him to cooperate.

"Thank you, mother. Good-bye." Noll said before ending the call. He glanced at Mai obviously irritated. She knew he wasn't irritated with her but the fact his mother had obviously been so excited. Mai knew he thought his mother's excitement equaled her trying to push into his life. She motioned for him to kneel down so he was on her eye level. She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Get some real sleep, Naru. There's a cot that I'm sure is much more comfortable than the chair. I can handle Gene by myself for a few hours." she told him. Noll studied her shocked for a moment before nodding. She watched as he went over and sat down on the cot. She smiled as he laid down and covered himself with the blanket. She stared at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the baby in her arms. Her smile turned soft when she heard his soft breathing telling her he had fallen asleep already.

The next time Noll opened his eyes he didn't know where he was but at the same time recognize his surroundings. He stood up as he watched the spirits float around him. He was able to place himself on the spiritual plane because of how Mai had described it when talking about the dream she had with Gene present. He wondered, briefly, why he was now standing in the spirit world. It had never happened before so he was wondering why he was there now.

"_It's been awhile, Noll_." Noll's eyes went wide as he recognized the voice. He slowly turned to watch as a figure approached him. He recognized the figure walking towards him. He saw the face staring back at him every morning he looked at himself in the mirror. He could only stare as the slightly younger, it was hard to think of his elder twin brother as being younger than him now, man stopped in front of him. He had his signature smile in place.

"What are you doing here, Gene?" he asked once the shock wore off. He was used to only speaking through a mirror to Gene and even then it was only short conversations. He had never thought he would be able to face his brother again the way he currently was. He wondered if he was able to see his brother like this because of Mai's proximity although it made little sense considering he had been just as close to her for over a year. His thoughts scattered when Gene shook his head at him.

"_Seeing me like this has nothing to do with Mai. I have been saving up my strength so I could come visit you…after you became a father. It takes a lot of power for you to meet with me like this._" Gene told him. Noll found he could only stare in surprise at his brother. He was surprised and unsurprised at the fact Gene had save his energy to visit him. It was something so very Gene that Noll felt as though he had his brother back completely. That when he woke up it wouldn't be just a dream and Gene would actually be at the hospital with him and Mai.

"_Are you just going to stare at me? I didn't put all the effort into my surprise for you to just stare at me. Tell me about your baby._" Gene demanded. Noll felt as though a shock had gone through his body. He knew he didn't have much time and Gene wanted to know about his nephew.

"He weighed over nine pounds when he was born. Mai was in a lot of pain but she wouldn't admit it no matter how many times someone asked. Mother is already demanding pictures. He looks a lot like us. We named him after you." Noll knew he had strung everything together in a short explanation. However, he knew Gene would understand. Noll had never been the talkative one. He still wasn't.

"_Why would you do something like that?_" Gene asked.

"It was what Mai wanted. She let me pick his middle name after giving him my first name. I could see in her eyes she wanted to name him after you. After seeing him being born and hearing how loud he can be I thought it was fitting name." Noll told him. He watched as Gene scowled at him.

"_Cheeky as always, little brother._" the older twin told him. Noll only bit back his smile because he knew that was exactly what Gene wanted to see.

"I hate change." he told him. Gene only shook his head.

"_You're going to be in for a surprise then. Because that son of yours? He's going to bring a lot of change to your life. It'll be good change though and I want you to accept it. Live your life for both of us, Noll._" Gene told him as he began to fade. Noll watched him go with a sense of longing but knew time was up.

"Naru! Naru! Hey, Naru, wake up!" his eyes snapped open as he heard Mai calling him. He sat up quickly to see she was smiling at him from the hospital bed. He also noticed one of the nurses standing there with a clipboard in her hand. He turned to his wife with a questioning look on his face.

"The nurse asked me if we both wanted to sign the birth certificate. I thought perhaps you would like to sign first." Mai told him gently. Noll nodded as he stood on his feet. He glanced at his wife and, now wide awake and cooing at everything, son. He felt something twinge in his heart as he looked down at the clipboard the nurse handed him.

'I promise, Gene."

"_Hey, mommy."_

"_Yes?"_

"_Who's that guy in the picture with daddy?"_

"_That's your Uncle Gene. He's your Guardian Angel."_

* * *

Please remember to review!


End file.
